


Morningstars

by godtrash



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Based on those tenirabi cards, Celestial Bodies, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:07:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25600321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/godtrash/pseuds/godtrash
Summary: Choutarou is a lonely star in a vast universe. Until he meets a very strange human.
Relationships: Ohtori Choutarou/Shishido Ryou
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	Morningstars

On the edge of space, on the border between what's real and what isn't (after all, what is the edge of space but an arbitrary imaginary line, as space itself is never ending and impossibly infinite) there lived a young star. That's right, he was as alive as you or I. A breathing, shining, thing, that looked something like a human being when he wanted but that wasn't quite right. He was a burning ball of light and fire, that warmed everything he touched, but nothing could ever get too close without burning up. This made him terribly sad and lonely, stuck being alone for the rest of his foreseeable days. Until he exploded and eventually turned inside out into a black hole. 

The future was not bright.

But as he hovered in the sky, pondering and being wistful, he watched life go by on the nearby planets. His warmth allowed living things to flourish and grow, and many civilizations rose and fell. He watched it all from his safe distance, particularly that of a nearby planet called "earth." 

Creatures known as humans came to be on that little blue planet, scurrying around to and fro and fighting great wars over petty things. He watched it all happen, wishing he could help them somehow, but knowing there was nothing to be done. 

That is, until one day, he spotted a creature in peril. A small animal, that the earthlings called a dog. It was young and frail, and drowning in a small lake. He was desperate to save the poor thing, but he couldn't. If he used his other form and went to earth, his aura would still burn everything around him. He couldn't save the dog. Just as he was fretting over this, he saw a human streak past. They dived into the water without hesitation, swimming quickly to where the dog was and grabbing it in their arms. They swam one-handed back to short, the other clutching the dog tightly. They crawled back to the shore, where the animal's tearful owner was reuniting gratefully with their pet. The dog panted, wagging it's tail, and gently licked it's savior's face. The hero in question grinned. 

"It was nothing." He said to the cheering onlookers. He looked a little bashful in the face of all the attention. "Anyone would have done the same." But the boy was amazing. The wayward star watched him with admiration and love in his heart for these beings called humans, but for this youth in particular. He was handsome, with boyish looks but long, beautiful silky brown hair pulled back in an elegant style. He was incredible. The star shyly drifted on, thinking what it would be like to befriend such an amazing person.

He dwelled on it in the days that followed, sometimes sneaking a peek at earth to see what the human was up to. He was almost always in motion, running or swimming or playing games. His hair caught the wind and the early afternoon sunlight and it was breathtaking. The star had to tamp down the feelings caught in his chest. He barely knew this person, and they were a human anyway. There's no way he could even meet with him, let alone become friends. He tried to put it out of his mind, but the image of the young man came unbidden to his mind in his dreaming hours. He finally swallowed up his fear, and descended to earth.

As he landed gracefully in the middle of a wide open field, the grass ignited and it was alight. Panicking, he tried to extinguish the rapidly growing flames, flattening them with a rock to stem the tide. He took a deep breath and centered himself. No more flames exploded into being. He could do this. He could be calm.

He made his way to the little two-story house where the human lived, his heart already knowing the way. He came to the door and didn't know what to say. What could he say? Hi, so I'm a celestial body, and I've been watching you like a creepy stalker for some time and I saw you save that dog. Wanna be friends? It was too strange. No one would believe such a story. Steeling himself, he straightened up and knocked on the door before he could change his mind.

He heard feet shuffling in the house, coming to answer, and he panicked again. He turned and bolted before the door could swing open. "Hello?" A woman's voice called. He ducked around the corner before she could see him. Why had he done that? What was he even planning to say? He had no idea. He flattened himself against the wall and took a few deep breaths. Then he locked eyes with someone and froze.

There was the boy, licking a popsicle, backwards cap on his now very short, choppy looking hair. Bug-eyed, he stared at the object of his dreams. He blinked.

"What was that about?" The boy said, eyebrow raised. "You cut your hair." The star blurted.

"Huh?" He reached up and touched the newly shorn strands absently. "Yeah. Wait. Do I know you?"

The star shook his head rapidly. "Uh. No. Well, not exactly. I saw you save that dog at the beach the other day. Uh. It was my cousin's dog." He lied quickly, wincing. "I decided I wanted to thank you." 

"Oh." He blinked. "That's not necessary." He mumbled, shuffling awkwardly. "Anyone else would have-"

"But you did." He interrupted, breathless. 

"Yeah." The boy shrugged, and paused. "I'm Shishido, by the way."

"Ootori." The star said quickly. They looked at each other. "Um. Can I treat you to lunch or something?"

"You don't have to." The other boy said. "But. If you wanna."

"Great." Ootori said, mouth dry. 

Lunch was awkward, as expected. Ootori watched the boy across from him scarf down his food as he made excuses not to eat. He was at a loss for what to say. Hello, I love you, even though we've only just met. Mostly it was silent between the two. But Shishido didn't seem to mind.

"You're pretty weird." He said as Ootori paid for both of their meals. "I don't think most people would get so worked up over it. Especially since it wasn't your dog."

"I wanted to save it." Ootori says suddenly. "But I can't swim."

"Oh." The other boy frowns. "Why go to a lake if you can't swim?"

"Everyone else was going." He replied, a wry smile on his face. "You didn't make fun of me for not knowing."

"Why would I do that?" The boy downs his drink, then offers: "Maybe I could teach you."

Ootori nearly chokes at that. "Uh. Sure. If you want." I'd just evaporate the water if I got in, he thinks. That would be a hard one to explain away.

"So, how about this saturday? I go to the public pool that's near here a lot. It's pretty nice."

"All right." Ootori says nervously, "it's a deal."

"Great." He grins. "Thanks for lunch. See you then, Ootori."

"Yeah." He says faintly as the boy starts to go. Then he stops, eyes narrowed. "Hey I just thought of something..."

Please don't ask how I knew where you lived, Ootori prays silently.

"The pool's closed this saturday." He lets out a silent breath of relief. "Wanna go today, instead?"

He blinks in response. "Now? I don't have... my swimsuit."

"You live nearby? You can go get it, I'll be back at my place."

"O-okay." He says.

Some time later, without really knowing why, he is at the edge of pool and on the precipice of what feels like sure disaster. He kneels by the edge of the pool. Shishido has already jumped in.

"Come on." He wheedles, waving at Ootori who stands sheepishly to the side. "It feels great."

"Alright." He tips one toe in, wincing. Shishido laughs at him. "It's not that cold."

"Uh, yeah." Nothing seems to be happening, so he lowers himself down from the ladder the rest of the way in. He's so tall that it barely comes to his navel. Shishido pouts. "No fair, being so tall." Ootori has to chuckle at that. 

"Hey, not my fault you're short." Shishido splashes him. He flinches, afraid that the water will turn to steam when it touches his skin or the water around him will start boiling the humans in the pool alive. But no such thing happens. It's just all right.

"So." Shishido clears his throat. "What made you want to come see me? Really?"

He swallows. "I told you, I wanted to thank you. That was all."

"You're weird." Shishido laughs, but he doesn't pry further. They have a nice swim together, and nobody gets hurt. 

Except his heart, which is on the verge of exploding.

It is early evening and the pool is closing. They are packing up to go. "So, will I see you again sometime?" Shishido asks. "I didn't really get to teach you much."

"I'm still nervous about the deep end." Ootori says. "Next time, maybe." 

"Yeah, next time." Shishido grins. "Here." He hands him a slip of paper. "My phone number." He says, giving Ootori a little wave. "Let's do this soon." 

"Yeah." Ootori says, taking the paper gingerly and holding it like a precious object. He doesn't say that he doesn't have a phone because he is an interdimensional star creature, and waves back. "See you."

"By the way." Shishido stops, and turns. "You? Aren't subtle at all. I can tell you're new at this whole being around humans thing. You gotta be more discreet. Less twitchy. Humans don't like that. It's been a while for me, so I know. For anyone that knows what you are it's obvious. But humans? They'll just think you're up to something. So be careful."

Ootori feels his jaw drop. He sees the shimmer now for the first time, like a halo of light that encircles the other boy, who smirks at him. "You couldn't tell? See, I've gotten good. Lifetime of practice. Anyway, come by here tomorrow, if you want. I'll teach you everything you need to know. Just call me your faithful senpai." And with a flash of light he is gone. 

Huh, Ootori thinks. This whole time he'd been here thinking that the object of his affections was human. He really was a fool, it seemed. He'd been played. No wonder he hadn't asked why he knew where to find his house. He had seen him coming a mile away. 

He looks down at the paper with a faint smile on his face. It says:

Ootori (if that is your real name)

It was fun. Come back and see me. I bet it's been a long time since you've been around your own kind, huh? I'll be in the Albion Galaxy. Look for me in the night sky, at the east. I'll be waiting.

-S

**Author's Note:**

> This was my entry for the Tenirabi Zine, based on those cards where they're dressed up like celestial bodies. I thought living stars was a cool concept, and here we are. Cranked out the night before last year's Nanowrimo to boot, finally posted here for your enjoyment.


End file.
